For we once so loved the world by HowlingDarkness95

Chapter 48

From where he stood with Thanos, Loki carefully schooled his face into an impassive mask. He watched silently as rows upon rows of chitauri soldiers marched beneath him, all of them aligning themselves in neat rows as they paraded to a clear space on the planet. He knew – from his first visit – that Thanos had countless numbers of soldiers, but he had never known how much.

Now, he was starting to wish that he never found out.

Above them, chitauri flew on their crafts, some of them attached to the bellies of the space whales which Loki had brought to New York. If the barren planet had a sun, it would have been blotted out by the sheer number of monsters that flew above head. What he had brought to Midgard was but a mere fraction of the army that Loki saw now, and the worry which he had ruthlessly squashed down earlier when Thanos had declared their march to Asgard, rose again.

He began to feel the first stirrings of despair, though he showed none of it on his face, his impassive mask fixed solidly even as his heart chilled with the laughter of the purple being beside him. The army stretched out endlessly, the sound of their boots stamping against the ground reverberating across the desolate planet. Loki was beginning to think that this was a bad idea. He had not anticipated the amount of soldiers and infantry that the Mad Titan had.

A heavy hand dropped on his head, Loki biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from flinching. The hand stroked his hair gently, a horrid mimicry of affection which made the god want to throw up. He closed his eyes against the feelings of revulsion which surged within him, choosing to remain still under the caress.

"You know what to do my pet," Thanos hissed into Loki's ear, his breath hot against the god's face, "Death will be pleased." The Titan rumbled, grinning savagely.

Loki exhaled sharply, waiting for Thanos to remove his hand from his head, though the weight seemed to linger on him, before he bowed to the purple being and vanished.

Thanos smirked, calling the Other to his side, "Mobilize the troops. I want to see Asgard and Midgard burn." He hissed, golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.

The city was as silent as a grave – not a single human or animal emerging from where they hid, terrified of the Chitauri's ferocious onslaught. None dared to venture out into the open for fear of being ripped apart or burnt to a crisp. The sound of engine cut through the air – deafening noise which broke the blanket of silence which had settled over the city.

An assortment of vehicles rolled into the city, gravel crunching beneath the tires as they drove past haunted, crumbling buildings, nimbly swerving around the rubble strewn across the street. The vehicles were a solid black, the only color on their metal bodies the white eagle raising its wings.

Agent Tyler stopped the car when they reached the center of Manhattan, the towering skyscrapers reaching desperately to the sky around them. He stepped out onto the unforgiving ground, smothering a frown as the scent of ashes drifted through his olfactory senses. The SHIELD agent raised a hand, the other vehicles coming to a stop beside his own car, agents clad in black pouring out from the belly of the vans. He put a finger to his ear, activating his comm. unit, "Is everyone in position?"

A short burst of static filled his ears before a chorus of assents echoed in his communication device. A low rumble shook the earth, making Tyler turn on the spot. A satisfied smile curved his lips as the tank rolled forward, unperturbed by the loose rocks and debris that cluttered the ground. The monster of a machine slid smoothly over the rocks and concrete, the barrel of the gun facing forward, ready to fire in an instant. More weaponized vehicles rolled in after the tank, filling up the spaces between the vans.